Mai Lan Kunzy Scholarship

Overview

The Mai Lan Kunzy Scholarship aims to support a graduate staff member of Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Vietnam, to undertake a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at The University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia. The successful applicant would undertake their PhD research program through UQ’s Faculty of Medicine at the Translational Research Institute.

The Mai Lan Kunzy Scholarship was established in 2013 and is maintained by gifts from Dr Hugh E Kunze, who graduated from The University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Science in 1969, a Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry in 1973, and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1977. The Scholarship is to enable students from Vietnam to undertake postgraduate study at The University of Queensland and thereby reach their personal goals and aspirations, to contribute to family and community, and contribute to the growth of the intellectual capital and capacity of the nation of Vietnam and the broader community.

This Scholarship will support a student undertaking a biomedical-focused PhD in the Frazer Institute or the Mater Research Institute-UQ based in the Translational Research Institute (TRI):

Find out more about the Frazer Institute

Find out more about the Mater Research Institute

Important dates

Submissions will be accepted until 5pm AEST on Monday 19th June 2023.
Short listed applicants will be notified by 30th June 2023 and invited to interview via Zoom.
Interviews are expected to be held the week of 10th July 2023.
The successful applicant would be expected to commence their PhD Candidature at The University of Queensland in early 2024.

Please direct all enquiries to med.adr@uq.edu.au.

Eligibility

The successful applicant will demonstrate academic merit and capacity as a future PhD graduate to contribute to the improvement of health both in Vietnam and globally.

Applicants must be: 

Citizens of Vietnam
Graduate staff of Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy
Hold a Masters in Internal Medicine (including Haematology, Cardiology, Nephrology, etc.), Oncology, Biomedical Science (including Haematology, Immunology, Microbiology, etc.) or Pediatrics. Consideration may be given to degrees in related medical fields.
A current IELTS of 6.5 or higher overall with at least 6.0 in every sub-band*

^{* IELTS test results that have expired in the previous two years would be considered for initial applications. However, current IELTS test results will be required for admission into the Doctor of Philosophy program; therefore, any Scholarship offer will be conditional on achieving satisfactory IELTS scores, if not current at the time of application.}

Applicants must meet the UQ Graduate School’s entry requirements for admission into the Doctor of Philosophy program:

View details for PhD entry

Scholarship value

A successful Scholarship recipient will receive:

Tuition fees and Overseas Student Health Cover (OHSC)
Annual living stipend of $32,192 (tax free)
An upfront payment to cover flights to Brisbane and visa expenses
Annual travel allowance to cover any travel approved by the student’s supervisor

Tenure: The Scholarship shall be held for a maximum of 3.5 years, but an extension may be considered on merit.

Application procedure

Applications should be submitted via email to med.adr@uq.edu.au by 5pm AEST on Monday 19^th June 2023 and must include: 

Statement of research career intent (500 words). Explain why you want to undertake PhD training through The University of Queensland, provide an indication of areas of research interest and articulate how this opportunity would support your career development.
Academic CV – ensure your CV includes the following details:
- Educational qualifications including Grade Point Average (GPA) attained
- Previous and current employment
- Research experience
- Research outputs, grants and/or awards, if any (include full citation details for any publications and state your contribution)
The most recent IELTS result as evidence of English proficiency
Two referee reports from academic referees able to comment on your potential for completing a PhD.
- Referee report template (DOCX, 51.6 KB)

Please provide all documents as PDFs and name your files in the following format: 

LASTNAME_firstname_document-name.pdf

Selection process

Selection committee

The selection panel will be comprised of the following representatives:

Director of Frazer Institute, or delegate
Director of Mater Research Institute-UQ, or delegate
Donor, Dr Hugh E Kunze, or delegate
Vice Rector (responsible for Science, Technology, and International Cooperation) at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, or delegate
Deputy Associate Dean Research (Researcher Development), Faculty of Medicine

The selection committee will base its assessment on the applicant’s statement of career aspiration, assessment of PhD readiness, CV, and referee reports.

Shortlisted applicants will be notified by 30^th June 2023 and invited to an interview via Zoom.

It is expected that applicants will be notified of the outcome on or before 31^st July 2023.

Previous Scholarship Recipients

Hoang Thi Mai Thanh

It is my honour to receive the special gift from Dr. Hugo E Kunze, the Mai Lan Kunzy scholarship, for medical research. The PhD program at University of Queensland provided a wonderful opportunity for me to work alongside leading researchers in medicine and conduct research in oncology and carcinogenesis. I received my PhD degree in Octorber, 2019 under the guidance of Prof. Maher Gandhi at the Translational Research Institute. Here, I had a great opportunity to study in a professional environment, with world class research facilities and participate in clinical research to understand the basis of brain lymphoma and establish new biomarkers for treatment strategies of this disease. The knowledge, skills and network that I have gained from my PhD study allow me to exchange knowledge and develop further reseach. These experiences helped me enormously when I retured to Vietnam and I currently work at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy as a lecturer and vice-director of the Institute of Biomedicine. Thanks to my research experience, I hope to contribute to education and training of students in Biomedical science and conduct translational research into clinical practice in my university. This scholarship is a valuable opportunity for a young researcher to develop their medical research in the future.

Ngô Minh Đạo

Studying towards a PhD at the University of Queensland (UQ), and having been awarded the Mai Lan Kunzy scholarship, has been a valuable and rewarding experience for me. UQ offers a great support system for higher degree research students and the Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland (MRI-UQ), where I conducted my study, provides a remarkable research environment. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have studied with leading professors and surrounded by supportive colleagues throughout my academic journey.

Thanks to the excellent training and research experience I gained at UQ, I am now a post-doctoral researcher working in the Infection, Immunity and Metabolism research group led by Prof. Katharina Ronacher at MRI-UQ. This opportunity has provided me with a platform to explore and contribute to cutting-edge research in the field of infection and metabolism, which has the potential to lead to new discoveries and treatments for communicable and non-communicable diseases.

I highly recommend applying for the Mai Lan Kunzy scholarship to any students in Vietnam who are considering pursuing a higher research degree (PhD) at UQ.

Tuấn Anh

I was fortunate and honored to be a previous recipient of Mai Lan Kunzy Scholarship, to which I am deeply indebted to Dr. Hugo Kunze. This scholarship was paramount in helping me pursue my Master’s degree in Health and Behavioural Sciences, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Queensland. The knowledge and skills I gained from the program have been invaluable in my current job as a lecturer and researcher at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam. This scholarship has not only helped me achieve my academic and career goals but has also given me the opportunity to contribute to the field of Psychiatry in Vietnam. I also had the pleasure of working in Mater Research, which is known for its wonderful work environment and research output. I was able to make many friends and colleagues who provided me with support and comradeship throughout my time there. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such a great team.